Friday Roundup

We've updated our post on the Official Transcripts to include an index to the days, witnesses, and examinations. This will make it a little more approachable.

In so doing, we've discovered we consistently misspelled M. Frelat's name as "Frelot", which we will correct with apologies.

News
USA Today's Sal Ruibal, in an exclusive, talks to Floyd Landis about his upcoming book, and the violation of the gag order placed on the participants of last month's USADA hearings held at Pepperdine University. While Landis does not believe in the wide spread culture of doping that purportedly exists in cycling he acknowledges that, as in any profession, there are cheaters. As to the tactics used by USADA during the hearings that caused such an uproar over the LeMond testimony Landis says:

"USADA brought in LeMond because they couldn't prove the case on scientific grounds," he said Thursday. "It was like the weapons of mass destruction [in Iraq]. If you look behind what they said, there is no evidence. They just had to make something up."

Landis also comments on his financial situation as well as the UCI rider "pledge" that was established to help insure a drug free Tour de France this year.

The NY Times posts a look at the predicament Versus, the cable channel that will again carry the Tour de France, finds itself in this year as it tries to promote cycling with its' tarnished image. It shows a precipitous drop in ratings from the last Armstrong victory to Floyd Landis' win last year with the assumption that the ratings will plummet further in light of the bad publicity generated by the many doping scandals that have pervaded the sport recently.

The Mail and Guardian Online speculates that it will be a rough road for the Tour de France this year with current champion Floyd Landis in limbo and about to be stripped of his title, not to mention the other doping scandals that have rocked the sport this year.

CyclingNews has letters, and lots of them. Plenty of opinion about the new UCI edict that riders sign the "pledge". Also letters on LeMond, amnesty for dopers, doping in general, doping and the Tour de France, well you get the picture.

Law.com via Yahoo reports a current ruling that reinforces the impression arbitration is a world to itself, not much subject to judicial review.

[C]ourts are limited to deciding questions of "arbitrability," and that all "procedural" questions about how the arbitration is to be conducted should be decided by the arbitrator.

WGAL announces the upcoming Lancaster "Ride with Floyd" as "$20 a pop", with picnic to follow at Green Mountain Cyclery.

Blogs
Potholes and Roadapples makes mention of another Floyd Landis homecoming to Lancaster Co., PA happening next weekend and starting with a "Positively False" booksigning Friday June 29th at the Lancaster Barnes&Noble. On Sunday July 1 a ride with Floyd and picnic to follow will take place. Rumor has it that world famous Floyd's Kick Ass Brownies will be served at the picnic.

Outside Magazine blog notes forthcoming arrival of Walsh's book about Armstrong and Landis, and of Positively False. Guess they didn't shop at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Jason Bristols' Blog announces a "Ride with Floyd" event to be held July 1 in Ephrata, PA. For more information, call Green Mountain Cyclery at 717-859-2422. Go to the FFF web site for the official details. The number of riders have been limited to 100.

Spinnin' Wheel hates the title ,"Positively False", but loves the book which she has a great deal od sentiment for. She feels Floyd has, for the most part, picked out and been picked by people of heart and grit to help in his fight against doping charges. And TBV is immortalized in print no less.

Cycling Through Life notes that Tour de France viewership was down almost a million last year when Floyd Landis won the race. Versus is in its' last year of coverage and the current crisis in cycling may not bode well for an extension of that contract.

Johnny Baseball's wife has taken their copy of Positively False out of the mail and won't let him have it until she's done. His review will be forthcoming.

Media Bistro/FIshbowl NY snarks Landis' appearance for the book with comparisons to Giambi, and suggests,

"Go for the story, stay for the free samples of HGH."

Today's ACC Headlines has a picture of the day from the Teva games of a Landis supporter with some supportive signs. This compares to last week's Teva pix of the stalking guy in a "Dopers Suck" T shirt.

SportingLife lists some memorable Tour finishes. It starts with Lemond's 8-second win; Landis last year, allegations be damned; Roche beating Delgado; Pantani; and Lance's last.